Packing case



Dec. 11, 1928. 1,694,973-

c. w. GERLACH PACKING CASE Filed Aug. 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w ll 39M1 Z Q flan e5! erlac/a.

Patented Dec. 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W. GERLACH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS,

TO CHICAGO MILL AND LUMBER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COR-PORATION OF DELAWARE.

PACKING CASE.

Application filed August 11, 1927. Serial No. 212,229.

This invention embraces special features to be used in the constructionof packages intended for the shipment of such commodities as it isdesirable to suspend, hang, or support in the carrying package. Forinstance, it will serve in the packing for shipment of such articles asradios, phono raphs, dressers, chifl'oi'iiers, buffets, secretaries,cabinets of all types, desks, benches, stands, machine ap-- pliances,and other objects with legs, projecting parts, or surfaces between whichand ad jacent portions of the package, clearance to be allowed.

To suspend, hang, or support an article in a package, the article isheld on a brace of some description which in turn, for firmness, isattached in some way to the package itself. The brace, of course, isadjusted to hold the article in the package so that a desired clearanceis allowed between parts of the article itself and faces of thepacl-zage. For example, in the packing of a dresser cabinet, a braceholds the cabinet off its legs in the container, the brace beingattached to two faces of the container. The cabinets rest on the bracewhich is so positioned that clearance is allowed between the legs andthe bottom of the container. In packing parlance, the brace on which theobject is supported, hung, or suspended, is called a rider, a cradle, ora support. For the present explanation it will be called a rider.

This invention comprises a special con struction of two faces of thepackage, op positc each other, which facilitates the at taching of therider to the container itself. These two faces may be made of veneer,plywood, fibre, composition board, sawed lumber su stance, or othersheathing material.

A slot is stamped or otherwise cut through each face so that the ridercan project through the container face and be attached to a sup portingclcat or brace on the outside. In some instances the rider will be ofmore than one piece, in which case more than one slot or a continuousslot across the face will be cut. The slots in the two container facesplus the outside brace on each face, both the slots and braces makingpossible the attachment of the rider on outside, are the essentialfeatures of this invention.

In a few instances this special construction will be used on one faceonly, other provision being made on the opposite face for supporting therider. For example, in packing some buffets it is desirable to run therider from front to back. The back of the container may be of slatted orcrate construction in which case the special features of this in ventionwill be applicable to the front only.

Because of this invention, the rider may be very easily and securelyinstalled. It will be attached to the outside supporting brace in fullview which will insure a correct attaclr inept. Whereas an insidesupporting brace might dan'iage the commodity, that possibility iseliminated by placing the brace outside. The over-all dimension of thecontainer may also be reduced by not having to allow for the brace onthe inside. In addi tion the outside support-s permit a more rigidcontainer construction and facilitate unpack- 111g.

The slot will reinforce the rider attachment to the outside brace incase the container is turned over or handled roughly. The rider may benailed or screwed to the outside brace or merely be supported unattachedto it. Also it is optional as to whether or not the rider is to benailed, screwed, or otherwise attached, to the commodity itself on theinside of the container. These items as well as other factors of packingand the specification of the other container faces to be used inconjunction with the parts herein provided, will be determined by thecontainer designer accordin to the exigencies of packing in theparticular instance.

An illustixu-ive embodin'ient of this invention shown in theaccon'lpanying drawing,

i in which Figure 1 a 1I)Ol'S'pCfiV View of a packing case with one ofthe back slats removed.

Fig. 52 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

l. 3 is a fragmental plan section taken on the .no 33 of Fig. 2.

Fi 4. is the reverse of Fig. 1, looking from the front of the case.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the opposite side, to the uppermay be secured to the slat by screws or nails, 'or tightly wedged by theslat against the upper portion of the case, to prevent shifting.

The case is provided with paneled ends 1 and 2, a paneled front 3, and apaneled top 4; the back and bottom sidesbeing enclosedby spaced slats 7extending longitiulinally of the case across the back, and the slats 8extending transversely across the bottom. The panels are each built upof a thin sheet of material such as, veneer, ply-wood, compositionboard, or the like, secured to cleats which form a re *tangular marginalframe. The frame of the front panel and the id: 7 are nailed to theframes of the end panel." at the sides thereof, and the bottom slats 8are nailed at one end to the lower slat 7, which extends along the loweredge of the case, and at the other end to the lower men ber of the frameof the back-panel. llhe frame of the top panel member 4: is nailed tothe upper edge of .the slat *i' which extends along the top edge of thecase, and, at the edge of the heel; panel frame. Preferably themembers-z; at the front and back are set back slightly so that thebottom slats 8 and the surface of the top member 4- are flush with theedges of the end frame members, and nails are driven through the endframes into the top and bottom members.

A package supporting slat or rider 9 ex tends across the interior of thecase, and may be inserted after the cabinet or othe" objects are inplace. The end frames 1 and 2 are each provided with a cross member 10which is mortised into the side portions of the frame; and apertures 11are cut through the panels immediately above the cross pieces.

This enables sliding the rider in from one end of the case. W hen therider is in position its ends project through the case and rest on thecross members 10 to which they are preferably secured by driving nailsdown through the rider into the cross-member shown in Fig. 2.

In this manner, the diiliculty of driving the nails on the inside of thecase for holding the rider is avoided; the fatening of the rider may beinspected from the outside of the case, and the nails may be removed inunpacking before the case is opened By leaving off the front and topmember 3, the cabinets may be easily packed in the case by insertingthem through the front. The rider 9 may then be shoved through the caseand secured at the ends, and the front and. top panels put in positionand nailed. The slat may be fastened to the cabinet by reaching in fromthe back which may be left off until the cabinet is secured.

The panels at the front and the top of the case are especially effectivein furnishing diagonal stiffness in the two corresponding normal planes;the slats at the front provide longitudinal strength; and the slats atthe bottom, in addition to providing a good footing, supply thetransverse strength. The panel end members provide diagonal stifiness inthe transverse planes. In this manner g eat strength in all directions,against both r. ng and crushing, is obtained with a small weight ofmaterial in a simple structure which can be produced economically.

lVhile but one specific embodiment of this ion has been herein shown andde- :l, i"; will be unde stood that numerous uls of the constructionshown may be anered or omitted without departing from .pirit of thisinvention as defined by the fcdlowing claims.

I claim:

1. In con'ibination in a packing case, a supporting rider extendingacross the interior of the case and projecting through the case, saidrider being rigidly secured to the case entirely on the exteriorthereof, whereby an article in said case will be supported in fixedposition relatively thereto.

2. In a packing case having a paneled end, a supporting rider extendingacross the interior of the case and projecting through said paneled end,and a frame member secured across the exterior of said end, said riderbeing secured to said frame member on the exterior of the case.

3. In combination, a packing case having a rectangular end frame, a thinpanel secured on the inside of the frame, a cross piece mortised intothe side members of the frame, and a supporting rider iaving one endprojecting through said panel and secured to said cross piece on theexterior of the case.

4. In a paclzina case, two paneled end members consisting of a thinsheet having 21 marginal frame, the sheets being apertured, a goodssupporting slat extending through the apertures, and a piece securedacross the frame on the exterior of the apertured walls of said case forsupporting the ends of said slat at a point exterior to said walls.

5. In combination, a packing case consisting of four paneled sides, andtwo adjacent sides enclosed by slats, a goods supporting slat extendingthrough the case and projecting through the panels in opposite sides ofthe case, and cross pieces secured to the exterior of said panels forsupporting the ends of said supporting slat. v

6. In combination, a packing case having a paneled surface with anaperture therein, a frame member secured across the exterior of saidpaneled surface adjacent said aperture, and a supporting rider havingone end projecting through said aperture and secured to said framemember on the exterior of said case.

7. In combination, a pacxino' case having a paneled suriace with anaperture therein, a

frame member secured across the exterior of said paneled surfaceadjacent said aperture, a supporting rider having one end projectingthrough said aperture and resting on said frame member at a pointexterior to said paneled surface, and means for securing said rider fromdisplacement relative to said frame member.

8. In combination, a packing case having a panel Wall With a restrictedaperture therein located substantially centrally of said panel andspaced from the edges thereof, a member secured on the outer side of theWall adjacent the aperture, and a supporting rider extending across theinterior of the case With one end projecting through said aperture, theend of said rider being secured directly to said member on the exteriorof the case.

9. In combination, a packing case having a pair of oppositely disposedpanel Walls, said Walls being provided With apertures substantiallycentrally located and spaced from the sides thereof, a frame membersecured on the outer sides of each of said Walls adjacent saidapertures, and a supporting rider for an article in the case, said riderprojecting through said apertures and secured to said frame member onthe exterior of the case.

10. In combination, a packing case having a paneled surface With anaperture therein, a frame member secured across the exterior of saidpaneled surface adjacent said aperture, and a supporting rider havingone end projecting through said aperture and supported by said framemember on the exterior of said case.

S jgned at Chicago this 18th day of July, 192

CHARLES W. GERLACH.

